Mount for Linear Assembly

This invention relates to a mount for a linear assembly, for example, a linear LED printhead assembly, which mount controls the location and orientation of the linear assembly with respect to a rotary component of an apparatus, for example, a nonimpact printer.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,981 issued Mar. 1, 1988 to K. C. Koek et al shows an LED printhead assembly including a linear array of LED's on a suitable support and an associated lens structure. The patent discloses a mechanism for mounting the array of LED's and the lens structure with respect to each other and also with respect to a web-type electrophotographic apparatus. That particular mounting structure is used commercially on high-speed, high-volume, nonimpact printers.

In that mounting structure, the printhead assembly is rigidly attached to a holding mechanism for the bearings of a roller supporting a photoconductive web. That rigid attachment uses mounting pins which permit removal of the printhead assembly and reinsertion of it without additional adjustments. Because of the rigid relationship between the printhead assembly and the bearings for the roller, focus is readily maintained on the photoconductive web.

This structure is suitable for such high volume applications where the exact location of the bearings of the roller relative to certain locating structure associated with the bearings is readily maintainable. However, there are other applications in which the exact location of the roller is not readily maintained. For example, it is much less costly to provide a support for a roller that tolerates some misalignment or inaccuracy in location. Similarly, the roller can be part of a support, commonly called a "film core" which is different from the frame of the apparatus to which the printhead assembly is fixed. If the core is removable to replace the belt, it may be prohibitively costly to assure that the core replacement process exactly positions the roller with respect to a rigidly fixed printhead assembly.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,334, granted Oct. 27, 1987 to Mochimaru et al, shows a structure in which a printhead assembly is rigidly fixed to the frame of an apparatus and a photoreceptive web is urged against the printhead assembly by a resiliently urged back-up roller that contacts both the web and key printhead assembly contact surfaces. This structure corrects minor variations in locations of the belt (or a drum) but has relatively few degrees of freedom.

It is the object of the invention to provide a mount for a linear assembly which maintains the linear assembly in operative relation to a rotary component having a primary axis, despite angular displacement of the primary axis of the rotary component about x and y axes generally orthogonal to the primary axis and each other.

These and other objects are accomplished by a mount which includes means fixed to the linear assembly for contacting the rotary component restricting movement of the assembly about the x and y axes relative to the rotary component but permitting such movement of the assembly with the rotary component, and means supporting the assembly and preventing movement of the assembly about the primary axis while permitting movement of the assembly about the x and y axes with the rotary component.

According to a preferred embodiment, the invention is applied to a linear writer assembly, such as a linear LED printhead, a lens and suitable support structure for the printhead and lens.

According to a further preferred embodiment the mount includes a plurality of flexure means supporting the linear assembly relative to a frame which flexure means, in combination, permit rotation of the assembly about the x and y axes while preventing rotation about the primary axis.

According to a further preferred embodiment the mount includes a plate and the flexure means includes at least three flexure arms between the plate and the linear assembly which permit displacement of the assembly parallel to the y and primary axes and do not permit rotation of the assembly about any of the axes, the y and primary axes being generally orthogonal to the optical axis or axes of the assembly.

According to a further preferred embodiment the flexure means includes a flexure member supporting the plate relative to a frame of the apparatus which member permits rotation of the plate around both x and y axes and does not permit rotation about the primary axis.

According to a further preferred embodiment the linear assembly is a printhead assembly designed for use with an apparatus in which the rotary component is a roller which supports a light sensitive web and the roller is part of a film core which is removable from the apparatus to replace the web. The mount for the printhead assembly has a center of gravity and a flexure hinge attaching the mount to the frame of the apparatus which, when the mount is attached to the frame and is otherwise unsupported, causes the mount to be receptive to replacement of the core in the apparatus. The mount includes surfaces which contact the film core as it is being replaced to move the mount into operative position relative to the roller. The flexure members are designed to facilitate this movement of the assembly and mount into operative relationship as the core is being replaced in the apparatus.

This mount provides extremely accurate positioning of a linear assembly with respect to a roller or other rotary component whose position is not absolutely determined and such accuracy is accomplished with a structure that is quite inexpensive to manufacture, especially in quantity, and requires minimum adjustment in assembly and use.

The mount is particularly useful with an apparatus employing a removable film core as described above and in more detail below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an electrophotographic apparatus of a type in which the invention is useful.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mount for a printhead assembly, which mount is constructed according to the invention.

FIG. 3 is a side cross-section of a writer assembly a portion of which is shown in FIG. 2, the side cross-section being taken along the lines 3--3 shown in FIG. 11.

FIGS. 4 and 6 are rear and front perspective views, respectively, of a support arm forming part of the mount shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a flexure hinge also shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a top view with many portions eliminated illustrating the mounting of three flexure arms in the mount shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one of the flexure arms shown in FIG. 7.

FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 are top views of a portion of the electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. 1, illustrating the replacement of a film core with respect to the mount constructed according to the invention.

Although this invention can be used with other types of apparatus, it will be illustrated by its most probable application in a nonimpact electrophotographic printer using an LED printhead.

According to FIG. 1 an electrophotographic printer includes a removable film core generally designated as 9 which includes an endless electrophotographic web, belt or film 1 trained about a series of rollers 2, 3, 4 and 5 and film skis 6. The rollers and skis are attached to side plates shown, in part, in FIGS. 9-11 and which make up the film core and which can be removed from the apparatus for replacement of the belt 1. In the basic electrophotographic process the belt 1 has one or more photoconductive layers on it. The belt is uniformly charged at a charging station 7 then exposed at an exposure station 8 and toned at one of toner stations 10, 11, 12 or 13. The resulting toner image is transferred to a receiving sheet at transfer station 18 and the receiving station is separated from the belt 1 and transported to a fuser, not shown, by a transport mechanism 21. The belt is then cleaned at a cleaning station 22 for reuse in the process, all as is well known in the art. Four toner stations 10, 11, 12 and 13 are shown permitting the application of four different colored toners to a plurality of images on the belt, which images can be transferred in registration at transfer station 18 to make a multicolor image, also as is well known in the art.

The exposure station 8 includes an LED printhead which will be described in more detail with reference to the other figures. It is driven by suitable electronics 34 as controlled by an encoder 33 which monitors the rotational displacement of printhead roller 2, also as is well known in the art. The suitable electronics 34 may receive information from a scanner, a computer, a memory or other similar source 35.

According to FIGS. 2 and 3, the exposure station 8 includes a printhead assembly and a mount 24 for the printhead assembly. The printhead assembly includes both a linear LED printhead 14 and an imaging device 15 such as a conventional gradient index lens array. The LED printhead 14 and the lens array 15 are optically located with respect to each other by a suitable support housing 16 to define an optical axis or axes 70. The support housing 16 includes locating members 27 and 28 having orthogonal relatively linear locating surfaces 29 and 30 which are parallel to the x axis and 31 and 32 which are parallel to the y axis. A planar locating surface 63 is located on member 28.

The printhead assembly 14 and 15 and support housing 16 with locating members 27 and 28 are precisely constructed as a unit, herein called a "writer assembly" 26. Accuracy of the system in high resolution printing depends upon the accuracy in locating printhead 14 and lens 15 with respect to locating surfaces 29-32.

Locating surfaces 29-32 are intended to mate with bearing surfaces 36 and 37, shown in phantom in FIG. 2 and which are part of printhead roller 2. Bearing surfaces 36 and 37 could also be part of the mounting structure for roller 2, providing they maintain a precise relation with roller 2. Bearing surfaces 36 and 37 are locating surfaces which cooperate with locating surfaces 29-32 to position the printhead assembly so that an image of LED printhead 14 is projected by lens 15 in focus on belt 1 as it is supported by printhead roller 2.

Printhead roller 2 will have variations in position and orientation. This is due to manufacturing tolerances in general and the fact that it is in a film core 9 which is removable. The location of roller 2 with respect to the frame of the apparatus is through the core and its mounting (not shown). The focal length of the lens array 15 is extremely short, giving very little depth of focus and requiring precise positioning of the printhead assembly with respect to roller 2. Mount 24 has been designed to provide that precise positioning despite previously mentioned variances in position and orientation of roller 2. FIG. 2 also shows a set of three orthogonal axes x, y and z which will be used to better explain the invention. The x axis is parallel to optical axes 70 (FIG. 3). The z axis as shown in FIG. 2 is parallel to the primary axis 40 of roller 2. The y axis is a vertical axis (as shown) and is orthogonal to the x and z axes. Because roller 2 rotates about primary axis 40, there is a tendency for the writer assembly 26 also to rotate about the primary axis. This rotation is prevented by mount 24 but virtually all other types of movement with change in position and orientation of roller 2 are permitted by a set of flexure members supporting the writer assembly 26 with respect to the frame of the apparatus.

The flexure members can best be seen in FIGS. 4-8. According to FIGS. 4 and 5 a support arm 25 is mounted to a portion of the frame 41 of the apparatus through a flexure hinge 42 formed by first and second flexure members 43 and 44. Flexure members 43 and 44 are attached by suitable means shown in FIG. 4 to adjoining corner surfaces of support arm 25 and to similar surfaces on a support 45. Support 45 is rigidly fastened to frame 41. The first and second flexure members are made of any durable metal such as steel having a stiffness which resists but permits some bending and twisting. The stiffness thus gives the support arm 25 a strong nominal position determined by the orientation of the corner surfaces of support 45. It also permits some rotational movement of the support arm 25 around the y axis as shown in FIG. 3. Movement about the x axis is prevented by the first flexure member 43, while movement about the z axis is prevented by the second flexure member 44.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 6, a flexure plate 50 is mounted to support arm 25 by a third flexure member 46. Third flexure member 46 permits rotation of flexure plate 50 around the y axis by normal bending and around the x axis by twisting. It is mounted as shown prohibiting rotation around the z axis.

Flexure plate 50 is mounted to the writer assembly 26 by three flexure arms 53, 54 and 55 shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, which become fourth, fifth and sixth flexure members. Flexure arms 53 and 54 are located at the top of plate 50 and flexure arm 55 is located at the bottom of plate 50. As shown in FIG. 7, flexure arm 53 is attached to plate 50 by flange 56 and to the writer assembly 26 by a flange 57. Flexure arms 54 and 55 are similarly mounted. As seen in FIG. 8 flexure arm 53 is bendable along lines 58 permitting movement of the writer assembly 26 relative to plate 50 in a vertical direction as shown in FIG. 2, that is, generally parallel to the y axis. The flexure arm 53 is bendable along vertical lines 59 which permits movement of writer assembly 26 relative to plate 50 parallel to the z axis as shown by arrow 60 in FIG. 7. Rotational movement around any of the axes is prevented because the flexure arms are not compressible thereby forcing the writer assembly 26 and plate 50 to remain parallel.

FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 are top views of the mount illustrating insertion of a film core in the apparatus. The corner surfaces on support 45, to which the first and second flexure members 43 and 44 are attached, are slightly oblique to the frame 41 so that when no film core is in the apparatus, support arm 25 tilts to the rear at a slight angle from perpendicular to frame 41, for example, 71/2 degrees as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. Writer assembly 26 also tilts rearward, as shown in FIG. 9, relative to support arm 25 as controlled by the angle of the support surfaces for the third flexure member 46. Further, writer assembly 26 has a center of gravity that causes its right end (FIG. 9) to tilt downward compared to support arm 25 with locating member 27 generally below locating member 28.

As the film core is inserted in the apparatus, printhead roller 2 moves generally in the direction shown by arrow 61. The mount 24 follows the roller 2 to assume its proper operative position with respect to roller 2 by the interaction of several surfaces. An end surface 62 of roller 2 contacts a flat locating surface 63 of locating member 28, which faces right in FIGS. 9-11, to urge writer assembly 26 toward the left and also to rotate writer assembly 26 counterclockwise around the y axis. The front corner of locating surface 29 (FIG. 2) is rotated into contact with bearing surface 36 and as writer assembly 26 rotates about the y axis surface 29 rides up on the bearing surface 36 causing comparable locating surface 30 (FIG. 2) on locating member 28 to rotate down onto bearing surface 37. The early part of the rotation of writer assembly 26 is permitted by third flexure 46 (compare FIGS. 9 and 10), while the second portion of that movement is a combination of flexure about third flexure member 46 and movement of support arm 25 around flexure hinge 42 (compare FIGS. 10 and 11). At the same time, flexure arms 53, 54, and 55 are permitting movement of writer assembly 26 generally parallel to the z axis, to the left as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 and some movement parallel to the y axis in an upward direction. These combinations of permitted movements on the part of the mount 24 cause the mount to assume its correct location, shown in FIG. 11, with little, if any, attention paid to it by the service person while the core is being inserted. The movement about spaced flexure means 43, 44, and 46 both permitting rotation around the y axis permits the substantial open able of writer assembly 26 in FIG. 9 without a large angle and movement by support arm 25.

Once the core is in place, flexure arms 53, 54 and 55 are holding locating surface 63 against end surface 62 to assure proper location of the printhead assembly parallel to the z axis. Similarly, flexure arms 53, 54 and 55, having been flexed somewhat to permit the front printhead support 26 to move upward, now exert some downward force, holding locating surfaces 29 and 30 against bearing surfaces 36 and 37, respectively (See FIG. 2). A flexure clasp 65 on film core 9, similar to those used for many years on ski boots and the like, is fastened to complementary fastening structure 64 on support arm 25 to lock the mount 24 in place and urge locating surfaces 31, 32 against bearing surfaces 36 and 37. Once assembled, small changes in position of roller 2 around either the x or y axis or parallel to any of the three axes are permitted by the third flexure member 46 and the flexure arms 53, 54 and 55 with the printhead assembly maintaining its operative relation with respect to the roller 2 and web 1. None of the flexure members permit rotation of the printhead assembly or the mount about the primary axis 40 of roller 2, i.e., about the z axis.

Although this structure is precise and convenient and somewhat complicated to explain, once designed, it is quite inexpensive to manufacture in quantity. The flexure members themselves can be made out of a variety of metals readily available on the market and they are generally riveted in place as shown in the drawings.

Although this mount is particularly useful with respect to a roller and electrophotographic web structure, it can be used to mount any linear assembly to follow a rotary member when the same problems are faced. Similarly, the mount can follow a rotary member other than a roller, e.g., a drum, which drum may or may not have an electrophotosensitive surface thereon.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinabove and as defined in the appended claims.